Lucknow: With a view to accommodating the eight breakaway Congress Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the ministry, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is understood to have taken resignations of about a dozen Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Ministers in the coalition government.

Though there was no official confirmation of the BSP ministers submitting their resignations, party sources claimed the Chief Minister had asked BSP ministers to tender their resignations in the larger interests of government and the party.

As she is not in favour of having a jumbo-sized ministry and had been continuously criticising Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for having one in 1997, she has taken this step, the sources said.

Following dissensions in BJP, Mayawati has realised that it would be better to garner the support of extra legislators on her own and not bank only on BJP whose rank and file was sending contradictory signals over continuing the coalition, the sources said.

During the legislature party meeting of BSP earlier this week, Mayawati had asked the partymen to remain prepared for sacrifices for party and government interests, they said.

She is believed to have kept the resignations of these ministers with herself and would use them as per requirements later, the sources said.

The Chief Minister had on January 31 indicated that she would soon be inducting Congress splinter group MLAs in the ministry.

Mayawati expects that some more Congress MLAs would soon join the rebels and the ministry expansion would be held only after that, the sources said.

PTI